Wrong side of history

Batavia tight end Ryan Webb eludes the Huntley defense during a Class 6A first-round playoff game Friday night. The Bulldogs lost 70-63 in the highest scoring postseason game in IHSA history.
Craig Watson / Special to the Beacon News

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State records fell seemingly every time somebody touched the ball in Friday's Class 6A playoff game between Batavia and Huntley.

When the dust settled, the Bulldogs saw their season end in the first round of the playoffs, 70-63, in a game that will not soon be forgotten in state annals.

The 133 points scored shattered the previous state playoff record of 106 set by Joliet Catholic and Riverside-Brookfield in 2001. Huntley's totals of 700 yards rushing, 709 total yards and 10 rushing touchdowns also set state playoff marks. The combined offensive total of 1,339 yards is also a state playoff record.

"I don't think either side is going to forget that one," Batavia senior quarterback Jordan Coffey said. "Tonight was one for the ages for high school football in Illinois. People are going to look at that score and not believe it. They'll think it's a typo. It just hurts so bad to be on the losing side."

Batavia (6-4) fell behind 35-14 with 48 seconds left in the first half on an 11-yard touchdown run from Huntley standout Jordan Neukirch. It was one of four touchdown runs for Neukirch, who ran for 260 yards on 24 carries.

But the Bulldogs clawed back into it, getting a 19-yard touchdown pass from Coffey to J.R. Kabba just before the half and a 10-yard Kabba scoring run on the first possession of the third quarter to cut the lead to 35-28. Those plays were in the midst of one of the zaniest scoring barrages one could imagine.

From the 57-second mark of the second quarter to the 5:24 mark of the third, the score went from 21-14 in favor of Huntley to 49-42, Huntley leading. After Kabba's scoring run at the start of the third, Huntley's Brett Kleckner scored on an 80-yard touchdown run and Coffey hit Mark Briden for a 65-yard scoring pass on consecutive offensive plays. Three plays later, Huntley quarterback Brandon Luczak scored a 64-yard touchdown.

Huntley (8-2) pushed the lead to 63-49 on a 48-yard Kleckner scoring run with 8:08 left in the fourth. But Batavia still managed to come back. Fullback Brandon Hartmann scored from 5 yards out and Kabba scored a 2-yard touchdown to slice the lead to 63-56, and Batavia then recovered on onside kick. Four plays later, Coffey hit Tyler Lindquist with a 19-yard score to tie the game at 63.

But Huntley responded with an eight-play, 86-yard drive, capped by a 13-yard Neukirch scoring run to take the lead for good. Batavia moved the ball only 8 yards on its final four plays as time finally ran out on a classic.

"For both teams, it was a difficult draw," Huntley coach Steve Graves said. "They had been giving up some yardage on the ground, and we don't like somebody that throws the ball that well."

Coffey had a stellar final game of what was a storied career at Batavia. He completed 25 of 38 passes for 414 yards and four touchdowns, despite the fact leading receiver Erich Zeddies went down with a left knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. Lindquist helped pick up the slack with a team-high 11 catches for 156 yards. Kabba added 149 yards rushing on 23 carries and five touchdowns, with four coming on the ground.

"For our kids to execute and do the things they did offensively without our No. 1 weapon says a lot," Batavia coach Mike Gaspari said. "I'm just very proud of the effort. It's one of those games that nobody loses. Just a great high school football game."